AMA vs IMPORT

[Ryan Jensen]

I also came from a FCP background, so I can understand your initial frustration. But the longer I’ve been in Avid, the more I appreciate the manner it does things.

First off, the import function does what you say – imports and transcodes the footage to the corresponding Avid codecs (DNxHD, 1:1 SD, etc). Then you would edit the footage from there.

The great thing about AMA is that it operate much like what you are used to in FCP. But instead “dragging and dropping” into your project, you “link-to” your media. You can then edit with the media right there, then transcode on the back-end. It’s essentially the reverse of import.

Import: Transcode first, then edit
AMA: Edit first, then transcode

You can also just transcode in the media that you used. Say you only used the first 10 seconds of a 2 minute piece, you can set the transcode function to only bring in that first 10 seconds (and add handles to it if you like).

The equivalent codec to ProRes is DNxHD. There are different flavors of this, such as DNxHD 145, 220, or 220x. The numbers have to do data rates of the codecs.

You may be also wondering why you have to transcode at all – FCP or even Adobe Premiere allows you to just “drag and drop” like you said. But having a standardized codec within Avid prevents you from constantly rendering, it’s an industry-standard codec and frame rates, and improves overall stability. If you are in a multi-user environment, also helps with dealing with bandwidth without any loss of visual quality.

As far as importing your test footage, you could try it both ways, import and AMA, to see the difference. When using AMA, once your finished you can right-click on the sequence and select “Consolidate/Transcode.” Select transcode and whatever Avid codec you need. With something small like 640×480, your probably looking at SD codecs (1:1 is uncompressed, 3:1 is more, 9:1 is even more, etc). I’m not really sure though – haven’t edited much with 640×480 footage.

Hopefully that helps!

[Shane Ross]

OK…I need to clear a couple things up:

[Ryan Jensen] “The great thing about AMA is that it operate much like what you are used to in FCP. But instead “dragging and dropping” into your project, you “link-to” your media. You can then edit with the media right there, then transcode on the back-end. It’s essentially the reverse of import.”

While you “can” link via AMA and essentially start editing…it isn’t wise to. Avid isn’t designed to work with media natively, not in the way Adobe Premiere is. No, AMA is a way to ACCESS the media…you then need to transcode to DNxHD before you edit. You can then relink to the AMA footage later if you need to…say if you transcoded to an offline editing codec and now want to online. But no…never edit natively with Avid. It doesn’t do it well.

As far as “dragging and dropping” in FCP…no, that was unwise too. Also something you didn’t do, unless the footage was already in an FCP codec like ProRes. FCP, like Avid, requires that you convert the footage to an edit friendly codec. Where FCP has Log and Transfer, Avid has AMA and Transcode.

[Ryan Jensen] “You may be also wondering why you have to transcode at all – FCP or even Adobe Premiere allows you to just “drag and drop” like you said”

No…wrong. Adobe Premiere did…yes. FCP, not really. Sure, it might work on shorter things, or might possibly work a few times. But unless the files are FCP codec…like ProRes…you will have issues.

But everything else is right.

Shane
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[Bill Ravens]

In my workflow, I routinely output my edit session to Quicktime Reference files for use in a third party authoring or distribution application. AMA links will not export with QTRef. They must be transcoded before they can be exported via QTRef, so, there’s no avoiding the transcoding process, anyway, with my workflow.

[Danielle Warren]

Wow! I can’t thank you guys enough. It’s one thing to read something in a book, but it’s another to ask specific questions and receive information that creates a much better understanding, which I now have thanks to these replies.

My preferred workflow (with FCP) is to organize the project materials I have on the finder level, then transcode to prores, then set up a new FCP project. I’m quite comfortable with this, and it makes the editing, exporting, and rendering so much easier throughout when everything is uniform from the start. When I said I liked to drag and drop in the project, I meant AFTER I had transcoded footage, and also bringing in things like music, SFX, and GFX is much easier that way. Because I learned to edit by first organizing at the finder level, I would drag those organized files straight into my FCP project and then things stayed organized within and outside FCP. I’d like to essentially keep the same workflow as it’s very quick for me and how I like to work for the things I edit.

So as I now understand it, it would be best to “import” rather than link to AMA even if that takes longer to start. It sounds like what I’ve been doing anyway, but the transcode now takes place within Avid as opposed to something like Compressor or Adobe Media Encoder. Or can you use those as well for the Avid preferred format, DNxHD ?

Thanks again fellas, it is much appreciated! I have been using FCP since 2001 and am struggling to adapt to Avid. But trying to understand one piece at a time. I know many people say try to forget what you’ve learned and approach it totally new, but that’s not really that easy when you’ve learned and spent hours upon hours on another NLE system. But I’m getting there! This was actually a huge piece I was missing an understanding about.

[Neil Goodman]

i would actually link to AMA the files. Then transcode and edit with the newly transcoded files. Alot faster than legacy import, same resul, and legacy import has been known to change gamma on some quicktime files, especially prores.

Neil Goodman: Editor of New Media Production – NBC/Universal

[Danielle Warren]

Hi Neil,
Not sure I follow you. I thought linking to AMA meant not transcoding before you start? So why would you link to AMA, then transcode and edit? Thought the whole purpose of AMA was to start editing and transcode later.

[Shane Ross]

[Danielle Warren] ” I thought linking to AMA meant not transcoding before you start?”

Linking via AMA means pointing Avid to the media where it exists. From there you can view and pick and choose what you want to transcode…or transcode everything. It is a way for Avid to track where your originals are. But you really must transcode before you edit.

[Danielle Warren] “Thought the whole purpose of AMA was to start editing and transcode later.”

No. Avid is hard pressed to work with footage natively. It’s not designed to do that. That above statement is how Premiere Pro works. Edit native, transcode the final output. Avid needs the media to be transcoded to Avid media, and put into the Avid file format, in order to track it properly, organize it…work with it efficiently. Accessing via AMA and editing native needs to be avoided.

Shane
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[Danielle Warren]

Ok I’m lost again!

“From there you can view and pick and choose what you want to transcode…or transcode everything. It is a way for Avid to track where your originals are. But you really must transcode before you edit.”

So if you need to transcode before editing, which is what I want to do, how does that work with AMA? How do you pick and choose what you want to transcode?

Because here you then say “Accessing via AMA and editing native needs to be avoided.” But you’re saying you should link via AMA? I’m definitely confused now.

All I want is to keep my workflow the same as I do now, which is transcode the footage, then bring into Avid to work with it. How is it best to do that?

[Shane Ross]

[Danielle Warren] “My preferred workflow (with FCP) is to organize the project materials I have on the finder level, then transcode to prores, then set up a new FCP project. I’m quite comfortable with this, and it makes the editing, exporting, and rendering so much easier throughout when everything is uniform from the start.”

Avid doesn’t work that way. Sorry. Avid needs the footage to be transcoded to DNxHD…and then IT will organize it where it wants it to go…into the Avid MediaFiles>MXF>1 folder. And it keeps a database in there to track it all. All the media organization is done inside the Avid software.

[Danielle Warren] “Because I learned to edit by first organizing at the finder level, I would drag those organized files straight into my FCP project and then things stayed organized within and outside FCP. I’d like to essentially keep the same workflow as it’s very quick for me and how I like to work for the things I edit.”

If you want to continue working with the above workflow, you need to explore Adobe Premiere Pro…it works like that. Use PRELUDE to transcode your footage, then organize it. Or, bring in the footage native and edit away.

Shane
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[Shane Ross]

[Danielle Warren] ”
So if you need to transcode before editing, which is what I want to do, how does that work with AMA? How do you pick and choose what you want to transcode?”

AMA will put all of the clips into a bin. Call this the AMA BIN for the given media (I organize this by card name, or reel). Highlight all the footage you want transcoded…then go CLIP>TRANSCODE. Or, if you want to make selection…only parts of clips…then put what you want in a sequence and transcode the clips in the sequence. Put the newly transcoded clips in a new master bin.

[Danielle Warren] “Because here you then say “Accessing via AMA and editing native needs to be avoided.” But you’re saying you should link via AMA? I’m definitely confused now.”

What I mean is…don’t us AMA to bring in the footage…and then start editing those clips BEFORE you transcode. When you link via AMA, you are pointing the Avid to the clips where they exist, and they are in their native codec. Avid has a tough time tracking footage that isn’t where it wants it, and when it doesn’t have a database file to associate with it. I’m saying, DO NOT just do AMA…then start editing. YOu AMA…TRANSCODE…then start editing with the transcoded media.

[Danielle Warren] ”
All I want is to keep my workflow the same as I do now, which is transcode the footage, then bring into Avid to work with it. How is it best to do that?”

DOn’t use Avid. Use Adobe Premiere. Avid doesn’t work the way you are used to working.

Shane
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